A Christmas Story

It’s Christmas Eve.  Finally. After weeks of shopping, decorating, wrapping, baking, organizing and watching kids concerts it is here!

Did you actually read that? Umm…hello, I don’t bake. But I did do some of the other stuff.

My neighbors and my mom brought me plates of baking that I will try to pass off as my own tonight.

The youngest of the little people that live here is vibrating she is so excited.

Ok, I am too. I love Christmas. It’s even better when we get to see it again through our children’s eyes.

Here is a quick Christmas Tale for you I have been working on. 

Check out what the top Literary Critics are saying:

“Stilwell delivers the full gamut of emotions.”

“You will be filled with anger and sadness, then leave feeling the triumph of the Christmas Spirit”

“A+! Best Seller List for the New Year”

No they aren’t. But you can laugh AT me this time.

Dylan won a sales contest at work this summer and was awarded a $500 Best Buy* Gift Card. Woot Woot! Talk about helping us with our Christmas budget right? Dylan handed over the prize to me (well trained boy). I congratulated him…kinda, and quickly put the gift card in my wallet.

Weeee! Shopping.

Being the ever so type 'A' organized mama that I am; I wrote my list, went to the closest Best Buy and filled my cart with Christmas presents that would assure smiles this Christmas morning.

At the cash register I opened my wallet and panicked. The gift card was gone. I dumped my purse on the counter, ransacked every nook and cranny…but it wasn’t there. 

I drove home empty handed and then proceeded to raid every cupboard and ‘I-put-it-away-in-a-special-spot-so-I won’t-lose-it’ place.

Dylan did the same. We took out every gift card, credit card, medical card and points card out of my wallet and laid them on the table. I had it all; from Starbucks to Pier One, Master Card to a Future Shop Points Rewards card.  

NO Best Buy card. It was simply gone. It had been stolen.

I work with some pretty amazing peeps. The only time I had ever left my purse alone was at my desk at work. I emailed the ENTIRE staff team to ask if anyone had it, that they simply return it to my mail box with no questions asked. Everyone was on the hunt for the missing card. Alas, it was gone.

After a week had passed, I went into the Best Buy to see if some Christmas Angel had returned it. Nope, but they did tell me it could be tracked with the credit card it was bought with.

All I could think was people are assholes. Dylan’s perspective was not anger or frustration. He simply said, “I guess someone needed it more than us this Christmas”. Great, now I was the asshole for thinking people are assholes.

He did email head office in one last attempt to have the stolen Best Buy Gift Card tracked.

They emailed him back directly, asking if the card in question was the Future Shop** Gift card he had won.

Ooops. I was wondering all along why I had a Future Shop “Points Rewards” Card in my wallet? Do they even have a points rewards system? No they don’t, it was a $500 gift card.

Cue me sending out apology emails to work.

Cue my children making fun of me.

Cue Dylan pouring me a glass of wine.

From my clearly overworked, crazy brain to yours, I wish you a wonderful holiday season filled with family, friends and many, many blessings.

And a lovely glass of wine.  Or three.

You know, all the stuff that really matters.

Xo J

PS: Did ya see the new Facebook Page link to your right? Click it. I double dog dare you. If you do, magical wine fairies will appear at your house. If you don’t, well don’t say I didn’t warn you.

*Local Electronics Everything Super Store

** The Competition Electronics Everything Super Store